Vale Dicens
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: It was a day Hermione never wanted to attend, but she had to in order to say goodbye.


_**A/N: Written for The Houses Competition forum run by MoonlightForgotten. This is a Short Story with the prompt 'A Funeral.' Word Count: 1156 words. Enjoy! :D**_

* * *

The air was humid and smelled of the storm that was brewing. Dark clouds danced and merged in the sky above Hermione, who looked away from the dreary direction and focused ahead of her through her thin and short black veil. A breeze caressed her cheek, blowing gently through her hair, though it did nothing to quell the nerves bustling up and ready to burst.

It was taking all of her strength not to sprint away or collapse on the ground. She walked steadily in a solemn rhythm that matched this day perfectly; the day she would be saying goodbye to a friend.

No one saw his death coming. He was always known as The Boy Who Lived, yet he was gone from their lives. Hermione shook her head; that's not correct. Harry would remain The Boy Who Lived because he would live forever in their hearts. She looked around at the others walking alongside her clad in their black garbs. There wasn't a single person in the crowd that didn't have a tear trailing down their cheek sans Hermione.

His casket was being carried by the Gryffindor boys of their year, including Ron. The sleek, black wooden carrier was a sight to see, yet it would never compare to the sight of the smile Harry would give.

 _It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told Hermione exactly what happened after he left the Gryffindor table the night before. To his immense relief, Hermione accepted his story without question. The smile he gave her was bright and joyful, so infectious that it brought a smile to her face as well._

Thinking of that smile finally broke Hermione; tears began to fall.

 _In the front row, Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. Trumpet-like sounds from the back of the marquee told everyone that Hagrid had taken out one of his own tablecloth-sized handkerchief. Hermione turned and beamed at Harry; her eyes were too full of tears._

" _...then I declare you bonded for life."_

It wasn't Hermione's wedding day, yet she felt that the look she shared with Harry signified the bond they couldn't break. _He was not supposed to break it._ But here she was standing here in the grass and rain, burying a piece of her heart.

McGonagall was standing in front of everyone, giving a speech of Harry's life and her experiences with him. Broken expressions were written over the crowd's faces as every person listened to McGonagall give her words. After she finished, others went up to say their pieces as well.

Hermione listened to them speak of their experiences with Harry, but the attention she gave them was slipping away once again.

" _You're still angry at me, aren't you?" Hermione said; Harry looked up to see the fresh tears leaking from her eyes. She could tell from the angry look on his face._

" _No," he said quietly, "Hermione, I know it was an accident. You were trying to get us out of there alive and you were bloody amazing. I'd be dead if you hadn't been there to help me."_

She laughed bitterly to herself, ' _Good job I've done of that_ ,' Hermione thought. She didn't make it in time to save Harry this time, and now she would never be able to see him again. The minute her name was called, Hermione's breath left her body. She was not ready for this; she just...couldn't do it.

Yet her legs were moving without her consent, moving her to the stand in front of everyone. She cleared her throat.

"I don't know what else to add after what everyone else has said, which is a first," Hermione said, earning strangled laughs from the crowd.

"Harry was one of my first friends here," she continued, "and that bond only grew stronger…"

Flashes of finding Harry lying lifeless on the floor came to Hermione's mind.

"...I don't know what I'm going to do without him," Hermione confessed, feeling a lump form in her throat.

A memory of a small puddle of blood from a wound on Harry's leg flashed in her thoughts. She blinked back tears rapidly, "Even when I would be mad at him for acting like a git, I loved him…"

Her watered eyes scanned the redhead that had collapsed to the ground in tears. Numbness spread through her legs, and she had to grip the podium to keep herself steady, "Harry James Potter will be in our hearts, always," she managed to get out, "and I know everyone here loved him, so let's keep the good memory of him close to mind."

Hermione's hand shook as she patted the podium with a forced smile while the tears spilled from her eyes. She didn't know who the two sets of hands that guided her back to her spot belonged to, but she was safe to assume from the striking red and blonde hair who they were. Luna and Ron comforted Hermione as the ceremony continued.

It wasn't something that Hermione could endure alone like she thought she would, and was forever in the couple's debt for staying by her side when they didn't have to be. As the last person said their speech in Harry's honor, McGonagall went back to standing in front of the rest of them. She kept her face straight as the lowering of Harry's casket began.

It was in slow motion that his casket went down in the ground. It was in slow motion that Hermione pushed everyone out of the way, that she collapsed on the ground in front of the hole that was taking her friend's body away from her. It was in slow motion that her tears fell to match the rain and her mouth was open with wails.

During her wailing, Harry's casket went further into the ground.

* * *

The gathering after the funeral had a quiet, mislaying atmosphere. Everyone was talking amongst each other in an attempt to mask the guilt and dejection felt all around. Hermione was standing near the window in the kitchen of the Burrow; a hand planted on the windowsill as she remembered the first time meeting the great Harry Potter.

" _Harry Potter," said Harry._

" _Are you really?" Hermione said. "I know all about you of course; I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in_ Modern Magical History _and_ The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and_ Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century _."_

" _Am I?" Harry asked with a dazed look on his face._

" _Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," she said._

A shaky laugh escaped Hermione's lips. "I did find out everything didn't I, Harry?" she asked out loud, "And I'm glad that I did...I'll miss you my friend."

She took her hand off of the windowsill and walked out of the kitchen.


End file.
